Acculturated Internal Quality Assurance as an Enabler as Well as a Product of Integrity, Efficiency and Effectiveness in Higher Educational Institutions
Keywords:
Acculturated quality assurance, Integrity, Excellence, Efficiency, EffectivenessAbstract
Internal quality assurance (IQA) structures and practices exist in many higher educational institutions (HEIs) globally. However, the existence of IQA mechanisms, though necessary, is insufficient to guarantee excellent delivery of quality products and services. There is need to acculturate internal quality assurance in order to realize and sustain excellence, efficiency and effectiveness in HEIs. Acculturated IQA refers to a consistent and shared commitment and adherence to relevant standards and requirements that is demonstrated not merely by documented information in an organisation but also through actual work performance and service delivery. What is stated or professed is followed through in practice. When IQA is acculturated, concern with quality becomes intrinsic and an ongoing process rather than an external imposition by quality assurance agencies. Alignment to goals, planning, monitoring and evaluation and use of objective evidence to guide decision making are cherished as efficient and effective tools for enhancing excellence. This paper utilizes philosophical methods of analysis and argumentation as well as internal quality assurance experiences and practices to clarify the concept of acculturated quality assurance and demonstrate how it both enables and reflects organisational excellence, efficiency and effectiveness.